Gabrielle walked around the camp like she had absolutely nothing to do. However her eyes were carefully assessing the legionnaires and their guard patterns. She made mental note of where they kept the horses and how the gates where opened. She saw how the far end of the compound was actually just a fence around the massive dig site, where nearly 20 Egyptians worked tirelessly under the watchful eye of Lucius and a surly looking Egyptian she guessed was Erkan. The dig itself was extensive. She could clearly make out the remainder of a great cracked sandstone floor and the remnants of many great statues in two rows leading up to a raised stone platform. It was the house from her dreams. And right enough the men had begun digging down into the stone stairways, which lead to the room, she knew was there. She had no idea, how she knew or could dream such a thing, but she knew that she had and sensed the truth of her vision.
Gabrielle walked up to Lucius as if she was permitted to be near his dig, which she presumed was not the case. "This is quite a sight", she commented as she came into full view of the two men. The Egyptian looked at her for mere moment then returned his attention to the workers, but Lucius just smiled and motioned for her to come closer.
"Yes, I hope to find something precious down that stairwell, if we can ever get past all the traps", he said and for a few seconds he stared at the back of the Egyptian impatiently then returned his gaze to the blond amazon stand before him.
"I thought the problem was sand not traps. Do the traps still work after all these years?" She was astounded but not really surprised if it really was the soul she suspected that had made them; she should have expected nothing else.
"No the stairwell hasn't been filled with sand. It was still sealed shut, when we found it", Lucius explained, when a cry of pain came from the little group of men surrounding the stairwell.
"Damn it", Erkan cursed in Egyptian and stormed down there as more and more of the workers back away from the stairwell pale and with fear written all over their faces.
The workers threw down their tools. Erkan railed against them in Egyptian asking, pleading and finally commanding them to continue the work, while the trap experts do their job and open up that stairwell so that they could get down there. Yet for all his yelling and cajoling, no one moved in the direction of the stairwell. Gabrielle said nothing, while Lucius looked angrier by the minute.
"It looks like they are afraid", Gabrielle commented offhandedly.
"I will change their minds", Lucius said through clenched teeth and was about to motion for one of his centurions.
Gabrielle took her chance. "If they're regular physical traps, why don't you let me try? I have a lot of experience in trap building and removal", she lied, while checking again if the object she had hidden in her clothing was properly secured and out of sight and her weapons ready.
Lucius looked at her with surprise and suspicion in his eyes. "I don't think the traps are like anything you've ever seen. They are very cunningly made and mostly likely impassable without blood loss", he told her.
"Yes, but as you can surely see there seems to be only one stairwell around here, which means that if this was a regularly used place instead of a tomb, then it was probably meant to be used, which means the traps can be either avoided entirely or disarmed. I have seen things like this in the Far East, there really shouldn't be a problem", she boasted without hesitation.
"And what is in it for you?" He asked and stared at her intensely.
"I get that amazon you keep as a slave as payment", she said and smiled at his surprise.
"How did you know?" He looked her up and down with even more surprise and suspicion.
"There are certain signs, skin colors and mannerism that you can never get out of an amazon. I don't know how important she is to you, but I hope that whatever is down there is worth more than her and that I can get it out for you", she explained without hesitation.
He was lost in thought for a while. Then he looked up at her and said: "Good, but I will go with you myself. If what we find is precious enough to me, then I will give you my slave. At least I can understand your motivation".
"Let's go then", Gabrielle offered and walked towards the stairwell. She heard him sheath his sword and follow her. She made her way to the stairwell. Erkan looked at the two in surprise.
"The amazon and I are going down ourselves. I am fed up waiting for you people", Lucius spat out before Erkan could open his mouth. He stopped for a moment lost in thought then called one of his centurions over and whispered something Gabrielle couldn't make out to him. The centurion looked at the both of them then nodded and stepped back, while Lucius went over to one of the men that had been down in the stairwell no long ago and retrieved two unlit torches.
"Light these", he commanded Erkan. He gave one to Gabrielle and kept the other.
"Come on then", she said and walked down into the darkness without fear.
Slowly they made their way down the stairs. They walked in silence only the quiet growl of their torches consuming air and crackle of the burning wood resounded in the empty stone stairway, which seemed to carve its way deep into the rock. It was exactly like she had dreamed it. They reached a spot still slick with blood from the treasure hunters.
"I guess this is as far as they made it", Gabrielle commented with out glee and stopped to carefully press her foot down on a rock at the end of the step. She motioned for Lucius to take a step forward. "Stop there. You'll have to follow my commands to the point while we do this", she added as she stopped him from continuing on into the dark by putting a hand on his shoulder.
Slowly she guided him through the traps, making a great show of discovering them and then avoiding them with prodigious skill. She slowly but surely made him walk further and further behind her, giving her room for later. The stairs winded down further into the darkness, while she put all her faith and their lives in her memory of a dream.
Finally after nearly an hour they reached the bottom of the stairs. Gabrielle asked Lucius to remain several steps behind her, while she worked her way through any trap in the beautifully decorated hallway, which flickered in many colors as the flames of their torches danced in the strange words and pictures on the walls.
Gabrielle carefully avoided the rock slide still held in place by the tiles near the door and examined the locking mechanism. The door had been open, when she had last seen this place and she had no idea, how to open it.
"Is there a problem?" Lucius asked curiously as she stopped to examine the door and frame surrounding it.
"I can't seem to find a way to open the door. I think whatever you're looking for is behind it", she explained as her eyes fell upon the words written on the door. She had never before seen the language yet she instantly translated it: "This keeps the eternal wisdom of Tepemkau. It has the secrets of souls and life entombed within. Keep these secrets or watch your world destroyed as we did". Another carving just below that one read: "Choose the color of Netikerty's hair and touch the places where your souls touch and behold the secrets as recorded by Tepemkau".
Gabrielle looked around again. On the edges of the doorframe there were painted engravings matching the heart and mind chakra that Naima had shown her in India many years ago. Gabrielle looked around and found a black heart and mind chakra. Smiling to herself, she set her face in the right folds and turned to Lucius and said: "I think I have found the opening mechanism. Now follow my orders and you will be on the other side of that door within minutes".
She guided him every step as he passed the four traps before the rock slide. "Stop right there", Gabrielle commanded as he stood mere inches from the triggering tiles on the floor. "I need some room to open the door, I have no idea what will happen if anything goes wrong", she explained and turned to press first the heart chakra then the mind chakra.
The door began to slide open and Gabrielle turned so that she could edge inside the door before it opened fully. "Come", she asked and saw how he nearly stepped over the triggering tiles.
The rocks hammered down on the roman without killing him. Instead it buried him. Gabrielle had remembered that the rock slide had only been there to slow an enemy down, so that the two owners of this place could come down to defeat the would-be burglars. As quick as lightning her eyes scanned the room. Old scrolls destroyed with age filled shelf after shelf having suffered and died under the onslaught of time. Only a golden scroll case lying on the rotted remains of a pillow remained. Quickly she drew forth the scroll case she had prepared from the insides of her clothing and replaced it, while trying not to disturb the remainders of the pillow too much. She hid the original scroll case in her clothing and quickly turned back to the unconscious man lying in a pile of yellow rocks, which had until a few minutes ago been apart of the roof. She dug him free and tried to revive him.
Lucius slowly came too. "What happened?" He asked still groggy from the blow to his head.
"It seems that the opening of the door activated a trap that I had overlooked. I am truly sorry… The room has been opened now, but I am afraid there is no treasure here. Only the remains of ancient scrolls crumbling with age", she explained.
Lucius jumped to his feet and stared at her. "There is only scrolls in the room. Is one of them in a golden scroll case?" He asked and looked at her with glee. Carefully and still a little wobbly on his feet he walked into the small room, cackling with happiness as his eyes fell on the golden scroll case on the crumbled pillow. "I have found it. Finally after all this time I will succeed in my quest", he triumphed and jumped up and down happily as he palmed the gold painted scroll case.
"Let's go back to the surface. Then you can have my slave and my eternal gratitude as well. Ephiny my friend, you have given me a greater gift this day then my mother when she gave birth to me", he enthused.
"Thank you… Very well let me guide up again", she offered happily. She had completed her quest without serious bloodshed and would soon save an Amazon sister from a destiny worse than death.
Gabrielle felt her spirit soar as she guided the happy man into the brilliant sunlight. She had fooled Lucius and stopped his search by giving him a fake scroll. She would probably leave him to try and decipher the Japanese writings on the scroll. Maybe one day in the future he would see reason and abandon his futile research into a scroll with one her sister's recipe for fish cakes on it. She walked proudly at his side as they passed from the darkness into the light.
Lucius suddenly dashed to the left and a legionnaire stepped in between them. Gabrielle was surrounded by at least 20 combat ready legionnaires.
"Surrender Gabrielle of Poteidia", Lucius suddenly commanded as she looked around in confusion.
Her mouth tasted bitter and a knot formed in her stomach. "How did you know?" She asked in a low and deadly voice, while she considered her combat options. Fighting 20 legionnaires ready for her would not be easy and could very well have a deadly ending.
"I was in Rome recently. To swear my allegiance to Caligula I am sure you remember him. You and Xena arranged his death right in front of the imperial palace. I saw you manipulate the madman to allow you and Xena access to the palace and I saw you proclaim Xena's presence, who then browbeat the fool into killing himself even though he was a god. Your beauty makes you quite recognizable, so imagine my surprise when my trusted commander brings you right into my camp, when I am on the brink of becoming a god just like Caligula. Now I have got you. Don't even think about fighting! At this moment my best centurion is holding a knife to the throat of your sister amazon, so it is really in your best interest to surrender immediately", he explained and smiled as the centurion came into view with his hostage held at knifepoint.
Gabrielle sighed and threw down first her sai's then reluctantly Xena's chakram followed.
"Now give me the real scroll. I am betting that you switched them, while that rock slide had me knocked unconscious", he commanded.
Gabrielle threw down the golden scroll case and looked at the roman defiantly.
"Good girl. Just like all other Amazons you just need a death threat to follow orders", he mused, smiled and commanded one of his men to get the discarded items. The man quickly took to the weapons and ran out of the ring of soldiers.
Gabrielle steeled herself. She knew what would follow.
"Take that bitch prisoner. I want her alive", Lucius noted coldly.
The ring of soldiers surrounding her charged. Gabrielle managed to kick a few in sensitive places, but she was soon put down by their mass and weapons. They kept coming kicking, hitting and cutting her. Soon she was a bloody mess and all fell into darkness.
She stood again in the magnificent building, which she realized had once been the residence of an incarnation of her soul. She stood at the end of a massive courtyard. All around her powerful soldiers dressed in expensive finery fought against other soldiers carrying the markings and banners of the Egyptian gods. An arrow hurtled towards her. With practiced ease she tore it from the air. She was amazed at her own speed.
Suddenly she heard an eerily familiar warcry resound over the courtyard. It sounded like Xena yet was not. A black haired figure flew out of an opening and landed many yards into the courtyard. She was armed with two wide sabers, which she whirled about so fast that they looked almost like shields of silver. "Tepemkau, I have sealed away the most important scrolls. All anyone will find in there now is curses, which will destroy them and all who hold evil in their hearts", she yelled in a language no one else seemed capable of understanding.
"Then we must defeat these poor fools before they doom their own lands with their greed", she heard herself answer. Suddenly a man ran towards her brandishing a large spear. The reflexes of the body she inhabited took over. Moving so quickly that even her own eyes didn't see it; she flew into a jump kick. Her weight and immense speed sent her hurtling into her enemy and rewarded her with the clearly audible sounds of many bones cracking and breaking.
She became a blur of fighting prowess. She fought weaponless, yet seemed as effective as she had ever been with her sai's or staff. Her hands and feet were deadly weapons, whose focused blows could both kill and maim. Yet sometimes she threw her enemies far away instead using their own attacks against them. The battle seemed to last forever, no one gaining the upper hand. Overhead an unnatural storm had begun to rage as a group of the natives came running out of the mansion with many scrolls. Gabrielle felt the rage and fear in the body she inhabited. Those men were touching secrets more ancient than the very language that they spoke. She broke into a dead run towards them, screaming like Callisto in her anger.
Suddenly an animal headed figure appeared before her, his hawk like visage set in anger and his weapons held ready. A god had come. Horus stood before her.
"Those secrets are not for these people, greedy spirit. Nor are they for you. You have already beheld too many of them, but the ultimate secret still eludes you and your kin. It doesn't matter what you do to me, but if those men aren't stopped you'll have to contend with even more godlings vying with you for the power over the known world", she heard herself say in a strange and musical language unlike any she had ever heard before.
The man figure spoke with barely withheld anger tingeing his voice: "Neither are those secrets any longer safe with you and your mate. You call yourselves the Best of Souls yet I see nothing to fear. My mother was wrong in fearing your wrath. However you're right. Mortals should not touch the secrets of birthing gods. They will be dealt with", he lifted his weapon in the customary greeting of an enemy.
Gabrielle noticed to her astonishment that her body and mind held no fear of this mighty creature in front of her. She knew it could be defeated. Suddenly she leapt forward and kicked the god hard. He flew across the courtyard and hammered into the wall so hard that the very walls cracked and buckled.
The body she inhabited had the same power to kill gods that Xena had been given during her battle with the Olympians.
However Horus was a mighty opponent and immediately counterattacked by firing a beam of light from his hand. The attack came on to fast for her to dodge.
She brought up her forearms letting the beams hit her wide golden bracers, hoping that she would survive.
The searing beam struck the bracers.
She deflected it into a man attacking one of their loyal guards turning him into a charred corpse.
Another beam came towards her and once again bounced of her bracers sending it into the mansion's wall. Beam after beam was deflected, then suddenly a sword hit Horus' open palm slicing it open. He screamed in pain as red blood poured forth from his wound.
Netikerty stood at his left hand side and smiled grimly at him. "For over five thousand years we have lived on this world, honing our skills and knowledge for our battle against you gods, who claim dominion over a world, which has never been and will never become your creature. Now crawl back to your family of bodiless spirits of power and cry impotent godling", she commanded and punctuated it by kicking him in the stomach, sending Horus sprawling to the ground.
Horus disappeared in a shower of golden sparks.
Then suddenly the ground began to shake. The sun darkened. The skies became black and the winds became hurricane like.
"They are all going to come. We won't be able to stop them all", the black haired woman, she knew as Netikerty and who was clearly a previous incarnation of Xena, said and looked around with a little fear in her eyes.
She stepped up besides her. All around them the battle raged. Fires raged in the nearby plantation. Their beautiful home was already severely damaged.
"I guess this is our final stand then", she heard the body she inhabited say.
"It has been a very long life my love", Netikerty answered and gave her a warm kiss.
"It will be an eternity. I will always be at your side. And you will always be at mine. I have manipulated the very fabric of the universe to guarantee it. We will never be born so far apart that we will not meet again. We will always return to life together anyway. We are soul mates; the will of the universe is on our side in this", she answered and turned to look around.
Suddenly the world fell silent. A group of human and beast headed creatures appeared at the far end of the courtyard, they looked like mere outlines the gloom.
"Here they come", she whispered.
Then there was a brilliant flash of light.
And Gabrielle awoke to pain.